Forbidden Zone of Deception

Chapter 194 Old Core
Yu Tianlun continued, "The memetic contamination in Red Rust Town may have started to leak out. If even Junji Ito's terrifying memes appear in the real world, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Liu Yan replied, "But this is an uncontained meme. The more people who know about it, the larger the meme leakage will become. In particular, if the [Vortex] meme appears in Muxu City, it will be hell!"

Jiang Jin suddenly stopped, his face turning extremely grim: "Wait, if this is due to the scarecrow's meme contamination, then my brother..."

He took out his phone to make a call, but Yu Tianlun stopped his hand: "Don't call! Your brother is an ordinary person. If he finds out about this now, his SAN value will plummet, and he might become a reserve reincarnator!"

The four people fell silent.

“It’s not certain yet that a scarecrow can’t prove that the material layer in this area has already begun to be eroded by the pollution layer,” Liu Yan continued. “It would be better to first consider contacting trusted officials from the Meme Pollution Monitoring Department and sending cleaners to check it out.”

Compared to the Reincarnators, the Cleaners are professionals who can easily travel between the material and polluted layers without being affected by meme contamination. They are completely agents of the reincarnation system.

"Alright, that's all we can do for now."

Along the way, they continued to observe the surrounding flowers, plants, and trees, looking for any other unusual signs.

……

On the way back to the city, Jiang Han took a moment to call her parents.

"Mom, you're going to participate in a square dance competition tomorrow, right?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

“Ah Jin is off today. He didn’t know you were setting off again tomorrow, so I suggested that he bring Liu Yan over today. He should have already proposed to Liu Yan and she’s wearing the engagement ring.”

"Huh? I've never heard him mention that before!"

The mother wasn't particularly happy. However, Jiang Han wasn't surprised; she wasn't very satisfied with Liu Yan, her future daughter-in-law. She had privately told her on the phone that Liu Yan was too beautiful, had lost both parents at a young age, was too calculating, and worked in a private company, unlike her son who had a secure government job.

He was surprised that being too beautiful was a downside? His mother said that girls who are too beautiful tend to be arrogant and have too many suitors.

Being an orphan was also what her mother disliked most. It meant he had no one to guide him, was exposed to society too early, and his mind was bound to be impure. She hoped her son could find a well-off woman with both parents alive, preferably someone honest, upright, and with a government job. She had even asked Jiang Han to help find one.

"Mom, after all, Ah Jin likes her, and I think Liu Yan is a pretty good person."

"Before living together, you can't see into someone's heart. Who can tell? In today's society, there are too many restless girls. They can ruin a boy's life by posting a short essay online, and then they can avoid any criminal responsibility..."

"Those are just a few extreme examples..."

“I don’t care about others, but I raised my son all these years, not so he could be ruined by these shameless young ladies! If she were a decent girl, she would have come to meet his parents after being proposed to. Who does she think she is? I’ll contact Jiang Jin later and have him bring Liu Yan back tonight. I’m going to the market to buy groceries now…”

At this time, inside the Yihai camp.

Liang Ji was sitting on the sofa with his legs propped up on the coffee table when the villa door was suddenly pushed open, the metal frame slamming against the wall with a loud bang.

Liang Ji was about to look up and curse angrily, but he froze on the spot as if struck by lightning.

Yu Tianlun stood in the doorway with his hands in his pockets. Behind him, Jiang Jin leaned against the door frame with a knife in his hand, Xu Yinqiu was slowly pulling out silver needles, and Liu Yan coldly surveyed the room.

All four of them carried an aura of grim determination, as if they had just returned from a dungeon raid. Yu Tianlun's eyes, in particular, were so calm they sent chills down one's spine.

"Wow, it's so lively here?" Yu Tianlun stepped over the broken photo frame on the ground.

"Captain Liang, are you... helping me clean up?"

The entire villa fell eerily quiet instantly.

Mo Hongmian's human bone rosary fell to the ground with a "thud" and rolled to Yu Tianlun's feet.

Liang Ji's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead.

The two elite bloody squads went all out, yet the Nirvana team didn't lose a single member?
How can this be?

He mechanically pulled out his phone, his fingers trembling as he dialed a number: "Hey, Ah Kun! Have the Crimson and Shadowblade people returned from the Dingyou camp?"

A hurried voice came from the other end of the phone, and Liang Ji's face grew increasingly grim with each word, until finally his entire face contorted.

"Both teams have...all gone missing?"

His voice had changed, and his phone fell to the ground with a "thud" onto the marble floor.

Yu Tianlun bent down to pick up the broken photo frame from the ground and gently blew away the dust: "Captain Liang seems very disappointed?"

At this moment, Wen Qi walked in, quickly went to Yu Tianlun's side, and whispered, "I'm sorry, Commander Yu, I handled things improperly..."

“I know this has nothing to do with you, Assistant Officer Wen.”

Yu Tianlun interrupted her, his gaze fixed on Liang Ji's face: "Assistant Wen, you should go back and rest first. I'll handle things here."

He even had a smile on his lips when he spoke, but his eyes were as cold as ice.

"We can't use force here, Commander Yu, don't be impulsive! Otherwise, the sanitation workers will come out!"

"I have my measure."

Yu Tianlun slowly walked to the sofa—Liang Ji immediately jumped up and hid to the side.

After sitting down, Yu Tianlun patted the seat next to him: "Captain Liang, why are you standing up? It's tiring. Come and sit down."

Liang Ji's legs went weak, and he almost knelt on the ground.

Even Zhou Chen and Qin Mei couldn't take down Yu Tianlun when they joined forces, so what is Liang Ji?

He forced himself to walk to the sofa, but didn't dare to actually sit down. He could only bow and smile apologetically, "Commander Yu, it's all a misunderstanding. We were just helping to look at the house..."

"Looking at houses?" Jiang Jin suddenly sneered, the boning knife "whooshing" into Liang Ji's foot, only a millimeter away from the tip of his leather shoe. "Do you think we're all from the Tang family?"

"We'll return the items to their rightful owner immediately!"

Liang Ji suddenly bowed ninety degrees, his voice trembling: "We will compensate you double for the losses caused!"

Yu Tianlun leaned back on the sofa, his fingers interlaced on his stomach: "I've heard about your great achievements as soon as I entered the camp. Weren't you guys quite impressive before? You even mentioned 'the house of the dead'? I still prefer your previous unruly self. Why don't you revert to your old ways?"

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding!" Liang Ji immediately knelt down. "I was blinded by greed and listened to slander, thinking that Commander Yu had met with misfortune..."

Yu Tianlun sighed softly: "I'm alive and well now, so how do you think this should be settled?"

Sweat was streaming down Liang Ji's forehead and stinging his eyes, but he dared not wipe it away: "Commander Yu, you are a magnanimous person, could you..."

"What if I just refuse to be magnanimous?" Yu Tianlun's voice suddenly turned cold.

The temperature inside the villa seemed to drop to freezing point instantly.

The team members behind Liang Ji had begun to tremble. At this moment, many people began to wonder if Yu Tianlun had returned to his former LV4 rank.
"Then, then what do you suggest we do?" Liang Ji's voice was already trembling with sobs.

Yu Tianlun held up one finger: "One hundred crystals of resentment."

"What?!" Liang Ji sat bolt upright. "Why don't you just rob it?!"

Yu Tianlun shrugged: "You don't have to pay if you don't want to."

He stood up and slowly straightened his cuffs. "From now on, you must be careful in the horror dungeons and quarantine zones."

These words, spoken casually, turned the faces of everyone in the Yin Sha team deathly pale.

The two local reincarnation teams fight each other, and the government doesn't care! They are happy to see the civilian reincarnators who refuse to obey them kill each other and deplete each other's resources.

Liang Ji frantically pulled out his phone: "I, I need to ask the regimental commander..."

After the call connected, he went to a corner and quickly explained the situation in a low voice, constantly stealing glances at Yu Tianlun's expression. The call was short, but when Liang Ji hung up, he was completely dejected, as if his spine had been removed.

"The commander said to send someone over immediately to deliver the crystals..." Liang Ji's voice was barely audible.

Yu Tianlun nodded, then suddenly walked up and patted Liang Ji's face, who didn't dare to dodge at all.

His slap wasn't hard, but it was extremely insulting: "Wouldn't it have been better if you had been this sensible earlier?"

He turned to Jiang Jin and said, "Jiang Jin, go and see what's missing, and make a list. One hundred crystals are an apology; I'll calculate the compensation separately."

Half an hour later, a member of the Yin Sha team, covered in sweat, delivered a box containing one hundred resentment crystals.

When Yu Tianlun was inspecting the goods, that member's legs were shaking like a leaf, as if he was afraid that Yu Tianlun would find it insufficient.

"Get out of here," Yu Tianlun said, closing the suitcase without looking up.

The members of the Yin Sha team felt as if they had been granted a pardon and rushed out. Liang Ji lagged behind, and just as he was about to step out the door, he suddenly heard Yu Tianlun say again, "Wait."

Liang Ji froze on the spot, almost bursting into tears: "Is...is there anything else?"

Yu Tianlun pointed to the mess on the ground: "Take the trash with you. Also, I'll bring the bill for compensation tomorrow."

After the last person scrambled away, Liu Yan finally couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Did you see that bastard's expression? He looked like he'd seen a ghost."

Jiang Jin played with the newly acquired crystal of resentment: "The Blood Lord lost two branch groups this time, he's probably furious."

Xu Yinqiu brought over a few cans of beer: "Come on, let's celebrate getting back alive, and also celebrate getting a hundred resentment crystals for free!" Jiang Jin shook his head and said, "I have to go home with Liu Yan..."

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, Yu Tianlun watched the Yin Sha team members flee in panic and said, "This is just the beginning."

As night fell, Jiang Jin and Liu Yan stood in front of the Jiang family's house, both dressed in formal attire and carrying carefully selected gifts: fine wine and a box of high-end pastries.

"Are you nervous?" Jiang Jin asked in a low voice. "It's okay, it's not like this is your first day here."

Liu Yan shook her head gently, but her fingertips were slightly cold: "It's alright, I'm just worried about Auntie..."

Jiang Jin squeezed her hand: "It's okay, my mom may be sharp-tongued, but she still loves me."

The doorbell rang, and soon, Jiang Jin's mother opened the door.

Her hair was neatly styled, and her gaze lingered briefly on Liu Yan before she gave a polite smile: "You're here. Come in."

In the living room, Jiang Jin's father, Jiang Zhiguo, was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper. When he saw them come in, he put down the newspaper and smiled, "Oh, Ah Jin and Liu Yan are here?"

“Dad.” Jiang Jin nodded, then looked at Jiang Han and Lin Yue sitting to the side, “Brother, sister-in-law.”

Jiang Han nodded slightly, glancing thoughtfully between her younger brother and Liu Yan.

Lin Yue stood up enthusiastically and took Liu Yan's hand, saying, "Oh my, Liu Yan looks so beautiful today!"

Liu Yan smiled shyly and handed the gift to Jiang Jin's mother, Zhou Huilan: "Auntie, this is a small token of my appreciation for you and Uncle."

Zhou Huilan accepted it and thanked her politely, but her eyes still held a hint of scrutiny.

Dinner began quickly. Zhou Huilan had been busy since she returned from the market that afternoon, preparing a table full of dishes, including braised pork ribs, steamed fish, and sweet and sour pork... The aroma filled the air.

Jiang Zhiguo opened the bottle of wine, poured a glass for Jiang Jin and Jiang Han, and then looked at Liu Yan: "Liu Yan, would you like some too?"

"Okay, Uncle."

Zhou Huilan glanced at her son, said nothing, but picked up a piece of fish and put it into Jiang Jin's bowl: "Eat more, the patrol team works so hard, they've all lost weight."

Jiang Jin smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm used to it."

The topic quickly shifted to marriage.

"When are you two planning to hold your wedding?" Jiang Zhiguo asked.

Jiang Jin and Liu Yan exchanged a glance.

Jiang Jin said, "We plan to do it as soon as possible, and we're already looking at houses."

"A house?" Zhou Huilan paused, her chopsticks clapping. "Do you have enough money?"

“That’s enough.” Jiang Jin nodded. “I joined the patrol team, and according to the rules, I’m entitled to a housing subsidy. With the money we’ve saved over the years, we can buy a small apartment in the city center.”

Even if you harbor resentment, buying a house in Changming District is not a problem.

Zhou Huilan frowned: "Even if it's a patrol team, how much subsidy can they get? Housing prices in the city center are so high now..."

“Mom, that’s enough.” Jiang Jin said firmly.

Zhou Huilan glanced at Liu Yan again.

“You didn’t show up when Jiang Jin was contaminated with memes the other day.” Zhou Huilan finally couldn’t help but say it, her tone tinged with reproach.

Liu Yan's face paled, and her fingers clenched slightly.

Jiang Jin immediately explained, "Mom, I didn't tell Liu Yan back then..."

Jiang Zhiguo interrupted, "Alright, let's not dwell on the past. Everything's fine now, isn't it?"

Zhou Huilan pursed her lips and didn't say anything more, but the dissatisfaction in her eyes did not disappear.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was somewhat subdued when the news broadcast on television broke the silence.

"Breaking news: Yanjing has officially decided to accept Heian-kyo's invitation..."

Just as Ken Matsuzaki said...

The elite of the Imperial Guards of Yanjing—the Dragon Soaring Army—is about to head to the Edo Special District!

Jiang Zhiguo put down his chopsticks, frowned, and looked at the TV: "What? Longxiang is stationed in Edo? This... this sounds interesting!"

Jiang Han nodded: "I heard it's because the meme contamination over there has gotten out of control."

"Furthermore, a joint statement from Japan and South Korea has temporarily halted the landing of the 'walking fish,' which has been preliminarily identified as a memetic contamination incident..."

"A walking fish?" Zhou Huilan, who had been busy practicing square dancing all day and hadn't checked her phone, asked in surprise, "What's that?"

Jiang Jin said in a deep voice, "A marine creature contaminated by memes."

"That's strange, fish can be contaminated with memes too?" Zhou Huilan's expression changed: "This world is getting more and more chaotic."

Jiang Zhiguo sighed, his eyes somewhat dazed: "Back when the meme contamination first broke out, the authorities said it was a mass hysteria, and later they said it could be transmitted from person to person... Muxu City was directly sealed off."

"Then this situation started happening all over the world," Jiang Han continued. "Unexpectedly, even Japan can't hold on anymore."

Liu Yan asked softly, "Would it be dangerous for our country to station troops there?"

Jiang Jin shook his head: "I don't know, but since the imperial court has decided to station troops, they must be confident."

"The imperial court?" Jiang Han was taken aback. Why were they using ancient terminology?

"Yes, I meant Yanjing." Jiang Jin had forgotten that this was a coded language used among the Reincarnators and some high-ranking officials.

Zhou Huilan looked at her son, then at Liu Yan, and finally sighed: "You two... if you really get married in the future, you'd better be careful."

Jiang Jin smiled: "Mom, does that mean you agree?"

Zhou Huilan snorted: "What good would it do if I disagreed? Once you've made up your mind about something, nothing can change it. I didn't want both of our sons to become policemen, but you still insisted on going to police academy."

Jiang Zhiguo laughed heartily and raised his glass: "Come on, let's have a drink, consider it an early celebration!"

At this moment, Zhou Huilan's cat—a fat orange and white cat named Ahua—slowly strolled over and rubbed against Liu Yan's leg.

“Ahua seems to like you quite a bit,” Jiang Zhiguo said with a smile.

Liu Yan bent down and stroked the cat's head. Ahua squinted its eyes comfortably, looking like it was enjoying being petted.

Zhou Huilan watched this scene with a complicated expression.

She had always hoped her son would find a girl from a simple, uncomplicated family, someone with parents to support him and a stable future. But Liu Yan was an orphan, without parents... and her parents were war correspondents whose deaths were said to be linked to political events.

But seeing the natural intimacy between Jiang Jin and Liu Yan sitting together, and their tacit and sweet eye contact, she felt... since her son liked it so much, there was nothing she could do.

Jiang Zhiguo took a sip of baijiu, his eyes somewhat unfocused, as if lost in memories.

"Looking back now... back then, meme pollution had just broken out, and the internet was in complete chaos."

He put down his glass, his voice low, and said, "You may not remember now, but back then there was an organization called 'Old Nucleus,' which posted everywhere saying that memes were not a disease, not pollution, but 'the key to truth,' enabling people to see the true nature of the world."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Huilan's expression changed slightly. She said, "When I went grocery shopping this afternoon, I also received a flyer that said something like... Welcome the meme baptism, embrace the real world. I was so scared that I threw it away immediately."

Jiang Jin's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Mom, if you see someone like this in the future, just call the police and ignore them."

Zhou Huilan sighed: "How could I dare to stay any longer? I ran away as soon as I saw these words."

She paused, then added, "Thinking back now, that person was dressed quite normally, like an ordinary office worker. Who knew..."

Jiang Zhiguo snorted coldly: "That's what the old core people like to do, mixing in with ordinary people to brainwash them."

As a criminal investigator, Jiang Han had a high level of professional sensitivity. He frowned and asked, "Dad, did you have any contact with this pyramid scheme organization back then?"

"No, but a former colleague's son believed in this, and later..."

Jiang Zhiguo shook his head and didn't say anything more.

The atmosphere at the dinner table became somewhat heavy for a moment.

Jiang Jin's fingers unconsciously caressed the wedding ring, and Liu Yan's thoughts were directly transmitted to his mind through the ring's connection:
"The 'Old Core' people actually dare to show their faces in Muxu Market again? Have they gone mad?"

Jiang Jin's response was calm and swift:
"No, they are clever. The court's attention is now entirely focused on the Japanese garrison and the walking fish incident, which is the perfect time for them to make their moves."

Liu Yan's thoughts were tinged with wariness:

"Chang Wuyong must be planning something big recently, otherwise he wouldn't risk having people handing out flyers in the city."

Chang Wuyong, a near-LV5 reincarnator, is the leader of the Old Core Organization, and also...

The imperial court's number one wanted criminal!
(End of this chapter)